Taking Chocolate to the Next Level in the Queen City
It is so great to have new businesses popping up around Regina. Especially when you hear news about other local businesses closing at the end of last year. As some wonderful people end one chapter, for others, 2022 began a new chapter for a few local entrepreneurs. One new business that caught my eye is Luxe Artisan Chocolates.
Luxe Artisan Chocolates owner and founder is Daniela Mintenko. She discovered her love for chocolate while growing up in Colombia. Being exposed to crops of cacao trees in her childhood and enjoying the simple pleasure of eating a fresh cacao bean instilled a unique perspective on the power of cacao and the many variations of chocolate that can be produced from it.
During her culinary training, Daniela developed a love for handcrafted desserts and focused her energy on perfecting not only artisanal ice cream but luxurious chocolate confections. Dandy’s Artisan Ice Cream was her first dessert concept, opening in Regina, SK in 2019, which highlights modern flavours from local and seasonal ingredients, Canadian dairy, and made-from-scratch inclusions. With her experience in the dessert industry over the last several years, Daniela is embarking on a new adventure that complements her initial dream of ice cream and taking it to a whole new level with handcrafted chocolates.
Daniela completed her Pastry Arts Diploma at the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver and has invested the last several years training with some of the best chocolatiers in the world as she has refined her chocolate-making skills. Daniela has surrounded herself with a highly skilled team to create the most outrageous, flavourful, and colourful chocolate confections. Each chocolate is truly custom, as each piece of chocolate is hand painted, hand piped, and handcrafted. With the belief in taking the time to create exquisite confections, Daniel uses not only rich flavours but textures to bring chocolate-making to a new era of extravagance.
What I truly find interesting is that Daniela doesn’t like chocolate! So why on earth start a chocolate business? Daniela explains that she wanted to show that chocolate was a tool to showcase all flavours with rich ganache made of exotic fruits and spices. Daniela says, “Chocolate confections should be more than plain chocolate but an explosion of flavour.”
As I have learned more about this passionate entrepreneur, it is truly exciting to see what lies next for Daniela. She explains “Regina is a wonderful place for someone like me, an immigrant as the community is extremely welcoming and the city provides a handful of opportunities for people who are eager to work hard in making their dreams happen.” So what’s next – she says she plans to expand nationally while exploring new flavour combinations. I think she is going to go far.
When you are selecting items for your next gift box do not forget to include Luxe Honeycomb Candy. It is the perfect combination of candy crunch and deep rich chocolate.
**This post is certainly not helping me in my no-sugar plans for January 😊
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